The invention relates to a device for placing at least one tape around a continuous strand of material, particularly for putting tape around a cable, the device being provided with a driven tape feeding device for the tape which rotates about the longitudinal axis of the strand and includes a tape reel.
Continuous strands of material, particularly cables, are encased in one or two tapes of paper, plastic, metal and/or fabric made of fibers or metal wires. In many cases, the thus wound or taped strand of material is subsequently provided with an additional plastic sheath. The application of the plastic sheath is effected by way of coextrusion, that is, the taped strand of material is conducted through an appropriately configured extruder. The tape length required for taping is greater by a multiple than the length of the strand of material, so that the device as a whole must be stopped each time and held at a standstill until the empty tape reel has been exchanged (for) a full tape reel and the outgoing tape end has been connected with the incoming tape end. Since the extruder must be kept at its required temperature during the time of the standstill, the practice in the past has been to continuously draw plastic material through a discharge conduit during the period of standstill to thus prevent damage due to overheating to the plastic in the extruder itself and to the already applied plastic sheath still in the region of the extruder nozzle. Aside from the considerable losses in plastic occurring during the standstill period, there also exists the danger that, due to the influence of greater heat during the standstill period, the sheathing will be damaged.